The New York Mets have had quite a long offseason.
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Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo are gone. Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien and more have arrived.
It makes the Mets look like a team that can compete for a long time, still built around superstars Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan, however, issued a warning of sorts in a new post on Threads on Friday night.
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He doesn’t think these moves will help in the long term, but rather in the short term.
Passan was specifically asked how he felt about the Mets’ “new core” and rejected that idea.
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“I’m not sure I’d call it a core, per se, if only because Bo Bichette can opt out, Freddy Peralta is an impending free agent, Luis Robert has a maximum of two years of control, and Marcus Semien is in his mid-30s,” Passan wrote. “It looks more like a bridge to me. And that’s not a bad thing. Teams don’t just plan for next season. The Mets’ farm system is as strong as it’s been in a long, long time. What I’m most interested in is the transition of those prospects to the big leagues over the next two years.”
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That all makes a lot of sense, but it’s those prospects who will have a tough ride.
Because the Mets have an established group of players at the MLB level, there won’t be many open spots to give guys their opportunities.
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The best opportunities will come on the pitching side, where the Mets certainly have strong young arms. If those guys can hit the ground running, this Mets team can be good now and in the future.